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Amazons
Location: Twilight Island Government: Tribal Attitude: Blunt and Passionate The Amazons are a proud, warrior race of strong people who live in the harsh jungles of Twilight Island. They are descended from ancient humans who long ago came to live there, and over countless generations they have developed into a full society and culture. Culture and Lifestyle Living in a land infested with all manner of colossal man-eating monstrosities, flesh-eating fish, and blood-sucking insects does much to harden even the most stalwart adventurers. The Amazons have survived in this perilous rain forest by being tougher, faster, and cleverer than their mainland relatives, leading to the belief that they are nothing more than primitive savages. While not as advanced intellectually or technologically as the people of Midland, they are nonetheless an intensely passionate people with a unique cultural heritage. Amazon society is ruled exclusively by women, who act as the guardians and providers for each tribe. Amazon women tend towards tall and muscular frames, which are further honed and strengthened by a life of brutal combat. Males in their society are generally weaker and considered little more than property. They act as gatherers and caretakers for the children and the elderly, and are marked or branded to designate their inferiority. While men are used communally for the purposes of reproduction, occasionally an Amazon will encounter a man strong enough to prove himself worthy of her respect or admiration. In this event the Amazon will proposition the male in the hopes that they might be life-bonded. A male bonded to a female Amazon is considered equal to women in Amazon society. Trophies are a sign of status for all huntresses. Huntresses that manage to fell rare and powerful predators are greatly respected by their peers, and are often looked to for guidance and tactical advice. As they grow older, they most often take up positions of leadership within the tribe, passing their knowledge on to successive generations. Religion Amazons live a very spiritual life, but their religion is not organized. They build no temples and have no shrines, nor do they have any form of written rules of worship. They revere the spirits of the earth and their ancestors, whom they believe watch over the brave, the noble and the just. Communion with their ancestors is a personal, usually family matter, though individual worship is also extremely common. The Amazons do not believe in burial, but rather ceremonial cremation wherein a dead warrior is burnt with her armor, weapons and clothing. The Amazons do not have many holy sites, but places where the ashes of their dead are scattered are considered hallowed ground and any who disturb such places invoke the wrath of all amazons, regardless of tribal affiliations. Worship of the primal spirits does have its rewards. For those most in-tune with the desires of certain primal or ancestral spirits, they are capable of calling upon boons from them, be it the summoning of primal avatars or powers and abilities far beyond the scope of normal training. One of the highest positions in Amazon society is to be a fully-recognized shaman, whom can preside over a number of official ceremonial duties including life-bonding, funerals and mass worship (the latter being practiced only in grand celebrations or dire situations). History Very little of Amazon history has been committed to writing, and what has been concerns itself primarily with environmental changes across the island, migration patterns for both tribes and wildlife, and tactics developed or invented across generations of tribeswomen. Midland's top historians and anthropologists theorize that Amazons evolved from the same stock as the rest of humanity, and are likely the descendants of the colonial army that warred against the elves many thousands of years ago. Though Midlanders and Amazons may share similar blood, the hostile tropical environment they were forced to live in upon returning to the surface world forced them to adapt, both physically and mentally, making both communication and coexistence difficult. Technology Notable Members Amazon Settlements Category:Races Category:Twilight Island